Matchday 21 of the 2025/26 La Liga season delivered another weekend full of shifting narratives, with pressure mounting across the table.
While Barcelona managed to hold on to top spot in La Liga with a hard-fought win, Real Madrid continued their resurgence under new management to keep the pressure firmly on the league leaders.
Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, took full advantage of slip-ups elsewhere to climb the standings, producing a commanding display to underline their growing momentum.At the other end of the table, familiar concerns resurfaced.
Athletic Club’s alarming slide has dragged them dangerously close to the relegation zone, while Espanyol’s inability to halt their winless run has raised serious questions about their top-four ambitions.
From title pushes to survival worries, the latest round of fixtures served as another reminder of how unforgiving La Liga can be. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at five key moments from Matchday 21.
Barcelona retain La Liga summit with a hard-fought win
La Liga leaders Barcelona were the favourites to secure all three points against Real Oviedo as they looked to get their title defence back on track. While they did manage to get the job done with a 3-0 win, it was far from easy against the bottom-placed side.
Relegation-threatened Real Oviedo managed to frustrate Barcelona’s star-studded attack in the first half with a compact and disciplined defensive display. However, their resilience collapsed after the break as they ended up conceding three goals due to blunders of their own.
A failure to clear the ball allowed Dani Olmo to score the opener in the 52nd minute. A few minutes later, an under-hit backpass put Raphinha through, and finally, Lamine Yamal made it 3-0 after Aaron Escandell misplaced a clearance.
Arbeloa’s Real Madrid are back on track
After a very disappointing start to life as Real Madrid’s boss following their defeat to a second division outfit in the Copa del Rey, Arbeloa has finally managed to get his team back on track, and they have been playing some exceptional football in the recent fixtures.
Los Blancos have won each of their last three games across competitions, scored ten goals in those fixtures and have conceded just once. Their last two outings in La Liga have ended in a comfortable 2-0 win.
The team in white took down Villarreal last week, a team that have been in fine form since the start of the season and were very much in the title race a few weeks back. A Kylian Mbappe brace was enough for Los Blancos to secure all three points and maintain pressure on leaders Barcelona.
With this defeat, the Yellow Submarine have now lost three out of their last five outings in La Liga. Prior to these defeats, they had only lost two out of their first 15 league games.
Diego Simeone’s men smash RCD Mallorca
After a disappointing midweek result against Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League, Atletico Madrid returned to winning ways in fine fashion and have managed to climb up to third in La Liga, thanks to Villarreal’s defeat to Real Madrid.
Diego Simeone’s team eased past Mallorca 3-0, with Alexander Sorloth and Thiago Almada finding the back of the net and an own goal. With this win, the Argentine manager’s team have now won four out of their last five league outings.
Since their defeat to Athletic Club away from home, Atletico have become a force to reckon with. While they haven’t been at their best in every game, Simeone’s team have certainly been very difficult to break down. It was a clinical performance from the Madrid-based outfit, and they will look to build on it.
Athletic Club could be fighting for survival in La Liga
Following their 2-1 defeat to Sevilla last time out, Athletic Club now find themselves 13th on the table with 24 points in their 21 outings. They are only three points clear of the drop zone, and the alarm bells have started to ring.
A few more disappointing results in La Liga, and they could actually find themselves in the relegation zone. Athletic have failed to win any of their last five league outings. They have lost four of those fixtures, which certainly doesn’t help their cause.
While they did win against Atalanta earlier this week in the UEFA Champions League, their form in La Liga is certainly a massive concern. Injuries and fatigue from competing on three fronts have taken a toll, and the fight for survival is now underway. They did put on a solid display against Sevilla, but they were not clinical enough in the final third.
Espanyol fail to end their winless run
Espanyol were off to a flying start and were one of the contenders for a top-four spot. However, things have started to collapse for them in recent weeks. The 3-2 defeat at the hands of relegation-threatened Valencia in their last outing was a massive blow, as they have now failed to win any of their last four league games (L3 D1).
Following this run of three defeats and a draw, Espanyol are now seven points behind fourth-placed Villarreal, who also have a game in hand. So they certainly have a lot of catching up to do if they want to push for a top-four slot.
More importantly, sixth-placed Real Betis are just two points behind them; as a result, Espanyol can no longer afford to relax, or they might get dragged further down. They were simply outplayed in the centre of the park against Valencia, and unless they take control of games, Espanyol will continue to struggle.
